Amritsar, Punjab's biggest city was the center of celebrations of the 400th anniversary (Parkash Utsav) of the installation of the Guru Granth Sahib at the Golden Temple, on September 1, 2004. The Guru Granth Sahib is the holy book from which Sikhism, one of the youngest religions of the world, is derived. The Guru Granth Sahib was first installed in the Golden Temple in September 1604 by the Fifth Guru, Guru Arjan Dev, who had completed the magnificent structure. Since then, devotees from far and near have flocked here to pay obeisance and seek blessings. Its been four centuries of divine grace centred around the holy book.
The holiest and most exalted of all Sikh shrines, Amritsar's famed Golden Temple stands there in simple majesty, the gilded splendour of its dome and panellings silhouetted softly in the pool of nectar.
The Golden Temple's noble story began with the Fourth Sikh Guru, Guru Ram Das, sanctifying the Pool of Nectar in the 16th Century. The pool itself had long been associated with Indian legends and considered blessed with miraculous healing powers. Legend has it that thousands of years ago Lord Rama's two sons had been taught the Ramayana here. In 1574, Guru Ram Das set up home - known as Guru-ka-Mahal- by the side of the pool, bought the pool and its surrounding land and excavated the tank to construct a shrine at its centre. The rest is history. In 1588, the Fifth Sikh Guru, Guru Arjan Dev invited the Muslim sufi divine, Hazrat Mian Mir of Lahore to ceremoniously lay the temple's foundation stone. The Guru's followers settled down in the neighbourhood, forming a small town called Ramdaspur, which was later called Amritsar after the holy tank. During the Guru's lifetime, the town grew in stature. Amritsar is today one of the biggest cities of Northern Indian with a thriving industry. The entire temple complex was spruced up, lit up and looked resplendent and stunning. Mirrored in the water of the holy tank, the sanctum sanctorum shone like a beacon.
The Guru Granth Sahib is the supreme religious and spiritual symbol of the Sikhs. In 1708, the Tenth Sikh Guru, Guru Gobind Singh passed away in Nanded. Before his death, he took a momentous decision that would set Sikhism apart from all other faiths. He decreed that there would be no human Gurus after him, and instead the Granth Sahib, the holy book containing the wisdom of previous Gurus and hymns of bhakts, would be revered as the Guru. He identified it as the ultimate authority on all matters pertaining to the Sikh religion. Thus, all major Sikh ceremonies are performed in the presence of the holy book. Its regarded as the Gurus' body and kept on a raised platform under a canopy, covered with special cloths. All Granth Sahib volumes are respectfully called Birs. The Guru Granth Sahib comes in several different sizes, spans 1,430 pages and contains 5,894 hymns, and has 15,575 stanzas. The holy book's verses were composed by different Sikh Gurus and some 15 Bhakti saints, notable among them Kabir and Ravidas.
The hymns composed by Guru Arjan Dev reflect one of the most powerful social currents of their times attempts at ridding religions of ritualism and highlighting the oneness of God. For Sikhs, the Guru Granth Sahib is the purest and only manifestation of God.
The celebrations went high-tech with a laser show and fireworks display that could be seen from all over the city. Amritsar is well connected with many Indian cities by air, rail and bus. Many international flights also land here including Air-India.